Just listened to a fascinating interview (on the local radio) about an author who casts the weather in her book (specifically, the rain) as a main character.
I'm curious, how many of you focus on inanimate objects like cities, states, natural forces or the weather as characters in your stories? More importantly, how do you implement it?
In my case, my lesbian detective book features a stormy winter in New York City prominently, having the weather turn sour anytime trouble approached, the sun shining when hope peaked its head above the clouds. But my Pro editor cut virtually all of it out, claiming I was "broadcasting" future story events rather than letting them play out on their own. She was right, of course, but it took a lot out of the story not to have the inevitability of fate playing a role in the story.
I've also used specific cities in my stories, but they rarely had a real 'feel' or personality. My descriptions of Manhattan came close, but they were more factual descriptions, rather than temperamental impressions of a given locale.
